Crossing Language Borders: The Testimonios of Latinx and Caribbean Immigrant Mothers in K–12 Public Schools

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 4:55 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Role of Parents and Family in the K–12 and College Experience of Latina/o/x Students (Table 6)

Abstract

This study explores the systemic challenges that emerging multilingual immigrant Latinx and Caribbean mothers with various immigration statuses (undocumented, asylum seekers, refugees, and international students) and limited financial resources attempt to steward their children through the U.S. educational system. The conceptual framework guiding this study was Community Cultural Wealth coupled with LatCrit, LangCrit, and Border Theory. Through in-depth interviews and arts, mothers revealed that their children’s schools normalize raciolinguistic microaggressions, which hinder the engagement of immigrant mothers and influence their children's academic development and well-being. Furthermore, mothers often feel invisible and disengaged due to schools’ superficial communication and digital exclusion. Recommendations to improve educational outcomes for immigrant children and families will be provided, along with recommendations for further research.

Author

• Michelle Angelo-Rocha, University of South Florida